Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Holdings Raised by Stevens Capital Management LP

Key Points

• Stevens Capital Management LP increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 187.1%, owning 3,319 shares valued at $525,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
• Williams-Sonoma reported a quarterly EPS of $1.85, surpassing analysts' expectations, with a revenue of $1.73 billion reflecting a 4.2% year-over-year increase.
• The company's board has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.66 per share, translating to an annualized dividend yield of 1.45%, set to be paid on August 22nd.

Stevens Capital Management LP grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 187.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,319 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,163 shares during the quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $525,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth about $33,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth about $32,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 123.6% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 1.8%

WSM stock traded up $3.39 on Wednesday, hitting $190.50. 347,431 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,965,899. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $125.33 and a 1-year high of $219.98. The stock has a market cap of $23.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.55, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $166.01 and a 200-day moving average of $173.59.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.35% and a return on equity of 52.79%. The business had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.48 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, July 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WSM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $182.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. KeyCorp upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $181.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Zelman & Associates began coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. They issued an "underperform" rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $178.41.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.18, for a total value of $5,045,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 966,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $162,617,782.86. This represents a 3.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.96, for a total transaction of $675,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 34,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,810,196.48. This trade represents a 10.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 72,000 shares of company stock valued at $11,906,700. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.